“Private group receives $13 million in state funds to contract for educational software without knowledge of the State Board of Education,” or “director of state business group named in federal indictment.”
There are 10 members of our State Board of Education, including the governor, who is president, and the State Superintendent of Schools, who is the secretary and executive officer.
In one of the most remarkable lapses of accountability I have ever heard about, the superintendent gets a multi-million dollar slush fund each year in the education budget, properly named the “at-risk fund,” to dole out as he pleases. The amount was $16.2 million in FY 2011, but has been reduced to $10 million for 2012.
There is also a group called the Council of Leaders in Alabama Schools (CLAS) through which it has become a practice of the superintendent to funnel these monies for various education projects outside the normal budgetary channels.
